Friday, February 13, 2009

Project 365 Day 42 (Wed 11 Feb 09)

THE FIRES
The fires in Victoria are so terrible ... and I'm not directly affected. I can only try to imagine what it's like for those who are.

The media has been going crazy to the point of over saturation. I don't think I can take any more. I've been like a bystander watching a car crash since it all happened; I'm horrified by it, I don't want to watch it and yet I'm mesmerised.

Tonight was especially tough. On the way home I read an article about a family with young children who'd died together. At home the news was showing a board with the names of missing people ... I could only watch horrified as I realised it was the family I'd read about in the newspaper. I just wanted to cry because it's all so senseless and I could how affected Clarissa was as well.

We're all well, family and friends both. No loss of people or property. The closest fires to me were at least 50 kms away in Marysville. Mum and my siblings have no fires near them. Ballarat was completely untouched with the closest fires in Bendigo about 100 kms to the north east and around Colac around 150+ kms to the south west.

The only good thing I can take is how wonderful people are when terrible things happen. So much money has been raised and the contributions continue to pour in.

It's been the same at work too with people rallying together buying toiletries, clothing and toys for the people affected. Trevor, in particular, whose extended family is badly affected has been taking everything donated up to a distribution centre.


Trevor with two of the bags of toiletries, clothing and toys for the latest drop.

I just hope they get the fires still burning under control and the communities can start rebuilding their lives.

No comments: